Paul’s Heavenly Vision
-Acts.
22:6-16.-June 9.-
“I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision.”-Acts 26:19.
WHILE waiting at
Jerusalem for the Pente-costal blessing promised, the eleven apostles
overlooked the fact that they were not to begin their work, nor to consider
that they had the proper endow-ment of wisdom or authority from on high for any
part of it, until they should receive the promised blessing. Their selection
of Matthias to fill the place of Judas, as the twelfth apostle was, therefore,
a blun-der; for although they cast lots, to give the Lord a choice, and the lot
fell on one of the two they had decided upon, they were in this doing something
beyond their authority. The Lord had his own choice for the one who would take
the place of Judas, and this one al-ready had been undergoing special training
and disci-pline “from his mother’s womb.”-Gal. 1:15; Acts 9:15; Rom. 1:1;
11:13; I Cor. 1:1; 9:1.
The name of the Lord’s choice for the twelfth apostle was, in the Hebrew
language, Saul, and in the Greek, Paul. Under divine supervision, and with a
view to his future work, without, however, interfering with his will, the Lord
had carefully guided, in re-spect to the birthplace, opportunities, education,
etc., of this one whom he foresaw to be his chosen vessel to bear his message
to the Gentiles. He was well-born, well educated, inheriting the valuable
right of a Roman citizen; was of a very religious cast of mind, a Pharisee, the
son of a Pharisee.
Paul, like others of his countrymen, was zealous for the Law, and for the
promises made to Israel. He was not a wicked man in any sense of the word,
but, on the contrary, was moral, upright, religious, having a religious zeal
which led him to persecute Christ and his followers as heretics against the
Mosaic institu-tions. He himself tells us that he persecuted the Church “in
all good conscience,” and yet he freely admits that in his language respecting
Christians he blasphemed the holy name, and was an injurer of the saints and a
persecutor. In his religious zeal, he tells us, he was “exceeding mad against”
the Christians, and “delivered into prisons both men and women. Acts 22:4;
26:11; 1 Tim. 1:13; Phil. 3:5, 6.
It was because Paul of Tarsus was not a bad man, but a good man, laboring under
blindness and misap-prehension, “an Israelite indeed,” fighting the truth
ignorantly, that our Lord favored him in the miracu-lous manner related in this
lesson. Indeed, we may suppose that the Lord in some manner favored all
“Israelites indeed,” as we note, for instance, that he favored Nathanael, who
at first was skeptical respect-ing his Messiahship, but was granted convincing
evi-dence because of his sincerity. Similarly we may sup-pose that some of
those who were converted by the miraculous manifestations of the day of
Pentecost and shortly afterward (numbering thousands), may have been amongst
the very ones who, but a few days previously, had thought of and perhaps had
spoken of Jesus as an impostor, and his disciples as shallow minded dupes. The
Lord had mercy upon Nathanael, and assisted him in one way, while he assisted
others, at Pentecost, in another way, through manifestation of the spirit; and
now in a still different manner he arrested the attention of Saul, convincing
him speed-ily that he was doing the very opposite thing from what he intended
to do.
The heart of Paul being in a right attitude,-of loyalty toward God, of zeal for
God, he merely needed to be set right; and we see that immediately the same zeal
and fervency of spirit which once persecuted the Church was enlisted on behalf
of the Church;-that he gladly forsook all to follow Christ, as soon as he
recognized his true character. These things being true, those who refer to the
Apostle Paul’s “conver-sion,” and who compare it to the
conversion of an or-dinary evil-doer, show that they are laboring under a
serious misapprehension of the facts. Had Saul of Tarsus been a wicked man we
could not suppose that the Lord would have been interested in him in any such
manner, not that any such miraculous means would have been used to bring his
attention to his wrong course of action.
God’s time for dealing with the unbelieving world is not in this age-that work
is left for the Millennial age. He is dealing now only with those who are
“Israelites indeed,” honest at heart; and it is for this class, and this class
only, that the Lord’s providence and drawing and convincing power is
exercised. In other words, God never proposes to change a man’s will, but where
his will is right and his ideas, his conceptions of proprieties, are wrong, it
is in accord with every principle of righteousness for the Lord to favor such,
and to open the eyes of their understand-ing: and this same rule holds good
now, as the Prophet has declared: “None of the wicked shall understand-but the
wise shall understand”-the truly wise. If any of the wicked gain a partial
knowledge of the truth we may be sure that they will lose it, for, as the
Scriptures again declare, “Light is sown for the right-eous: truth for the
upright in heart.” (Psa. 97:11.) God has abundant provisions for dealing with
other classes in the future, “in due time”-such as will be best suited to their
cases.
Our lesson shows us Saul on his way to Damascus, armed with authority for the
apprehension of the Lord’s followers, accompanied by others who seemingly were
under his command as a police force. All who know anything respecting the
exceeding clearness and brightness of the noonday sun in Palestine, glaringly
brilliant, will note the force of the statement respect-ing the great light
which suddenly shone upon Saul from heaven about noonday. It must have been an
exceedingly bright light; but apparently it affected Saul alone, and not those
that were with him, though they saw it and noted its effect upon Paul, who was
blinded by it, as he fell to the ground. If he were afoot this might mean
that he immediately prostrated himself, as one would be said to fall down
before a king; if he were on horseback it might mean that he dismounted and
prostrated himself;-but we do not incline to the thought which seems to be the
common one, that he fell from his horse as in a faint. Rather, instead of
being stunned or in a faint condition, Saul seems to have been fully possessed
of his senses, and to have realized that he was the subject of a miracle. The
voice which he heard was one, not of approval, as he might have expected, since
he was supposedly in the divine service, but one of reproof: “Saul, Saul, why
persecutest thou me?” Paul’s clearness of mind is manifest in his inquiry, “Who
art thou, Lord?” He recognized at once that the one who had thus power to
arrest him in his journey was a lordly one, a powerful one, yet he wished to
make no mistake, he wished to know who it was who thus reproved him, that he
might benefit the more. The answer must have been a surprise to him, almost a
shock: “I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.”
Our Lord’s answer shows us how intimately he stands related with all those who
are truly his; those who touch his saints touch him, for are they not, as the
Apostle declares, “members in particular of the body of Christ?” He is indeed,
“the Head of the Church, which is his body,” and the ascended Head feels for
and cares for and is interested in even the weakest and humblest of those whom
he recognizes as truly his. If we remember this it will be a great help to us
in the midst of trials and persecutions-the thought that we are “filling up
that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ,” that “as he was, so are we
in this world,” and that while we are in the flesh, Christ is in the flesh, and
that this will continue until the last members, even the feet members of the
body, shall have suffered and have entered into glory. Let us remember this
also, and specially, if at any time we are tempted to deal harshly or speak
rudely or think unkindly of any of the “brethren.” Let us consider that as we,
with all our weaknesses and un-willing imperfections, are the Lord’s members
and subjects of his interest and care, so also are all of the brethren; and
that inasmuch as we do, or do not do, to one of the least of his brethren, we
do, or do not do, to him. If this thought of the intimate relationship
between the head and the members could be always fresh before our minds, how
favorable would be the influence; how often we would improve the opportu-nity,
not only of suffering, as the body of Christ, but of suffering with the fellow
members, and assisting in bearing their burdens. “We ought also to lay down
our lives for the brethren.”-I John 3:16; Heb. 2:11; Col. 1:24.
We are told that Paul’s companions also saw the light, but heard not the
voice. Elsewhere it is stated that they heard the voice, but saw no man. The
state-ments are not to be supposed to be contradictory, but can be understood
to be harmonious by remembering that the expression “hearing the voice” is
sometimes used in two different ways. We may say to a friend, “I did not hear
what you said.” And again, speak-ing of the same matter, we might say, “I
heard a voice or sound, but did not distinguish the words.” The two statements
might seem to be contradictory, but are really quite in harmony; and so with
these two records of the Apostle’s words. The voice was heard by all, but the
message by Saul only.
Paul was an intensely practical man, and as soon as he understood who it was
that had thus arrested him in his course of error he immediately inquired,
“Lord, what shall I do?” This meant a great deal; it meant: I am anxious now to
undo what I have been heretofore mistakenly doing; I am anxious to be your
servant; I appeal to you for orders; I am ready to obey. “He, trembling and
astonished, said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6.) This, the
language and the attitude of all sincere souls, meant full surrender. It
meant, I am not more sincere now than I was a moment ago, but the eyes of my
under-standing have been opened, though it has cost me the loss of my natural
sight. Let me demonstrate, O Lord, that my crime against thee was not of
heart, but merely of misapprehension of head; let me lay down my life in thy
service.
And similar seems to be the attitude of the Lord’s true people today: those who
have been blinded for years with misconceptions of the divine character and
plan, and who have blasphemed God’s holy name ig-norantly, in misrepresenting
him and his plan; and who have persecuted Jesus by opposing his truth, and
those supporting it-these, when now the eyes of their understanding are opened,
feel as did Saul, that the remainder of life is only too little and too short
to show forth the praises of him who hath called us out of dark-ness into his
marvelous light;-of him who had mercy upon us, and who graciously shined into
our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, as it shines
in the face of Jesus Christ our Lord. (2 Cor. 4:4.) Those who do not feel their
hearts burn and who feel no desire to pledge themselves to the ser-vice of the
Lord and his truth, have not the spirit of the Apostle,-have not the spirit
which is best pleas-ing to the Lord and most esteemed amongst those who have
the mind of the Lord. And if we have this spirit or disposition in any measure
let us cultivate it, by thinking what great things the Lord has done for us, and
by considering how little we are able to do in return to manifest the
appreciation which we feel and ought to feel.
The Lord’s answer, sending Paul to Damascus, and informing him that “there it
shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do,” shows us
that Paul was in the divine mind and plan before-hand. The Lord knew that he
was honest, and one who, when the truth would shine into his heart, would not
be disobedient to the heavenly vision, but would be prompt to consecrate his
life, his all, in the service of the Lord and of the brethren.
Verily, “The Lord knoweth them that are his.” The same thought is brought to us
in noting the Lord’s answer to Ananias, when the latter was fearful to go to
Saul. The Lord said, “Go thy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear
my name before the Gentiles and kings, and the children of Israel; for I will
show him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.” Such language
could not be used by the Lord in con-nection with one whose heart was not
already fully consecrated to the divine will and service, however ignorantly it
had been misused. So today we may have more hope of some who are outspoken in
their opposition and enmity to the truth and its servants than for some who are
its very cold and indifferent friends. The former may be truly consecrated,
but blind, and if so the Lord’s due time will come for their mental eyes to be
open, and then we may be sure that they will be amongst his most faithful
fol-lowers.
The wonderful light which flashed upon his eyes destroyed his sight. “Saul
arose from the earth, and when his eyes were open he saw no man, but they led
him by the hand and led him into Damascus, and he was three days without sight,
neither did he eat or drink.” We may be sure, however, that during those three
days he did a great amount of thinking,-en-deavoring to grasp, so far as
possible, the lessons of his wonderful experiences. He tells us that he
realized his experience to be nothing else than his seeing of Jesus. We need
not suppose that he saw our Lord’s spiritual body in its wonderful glory, for
we are to re-member the Scriptural statement that our Lord now is the express
image of the Father’s person; and we re-member, too, that it is declared that
no man can see God and live; that he dwells in a light no man can approach
unto. And since our Lord Jesus is his express image and likeness, the same
thing must now be true of him. Saul was but a man, and could not, therefore,
have seen that which no man could see, and live. What, then, did he see? We
answer, that he saw a repre-sentation of Jesus’ glory. Since he could not see
the fullness of that glory and live, he was permitted only to see a part of it,
and that part destroyed his eyesight. This demonstrates to us the truth of the
statement that the divine glory, if fully revealed to man, would cause death.
Nevertheless, such an appearance of the Lord’s glory to Paul made him as really
a witness of Jesus’ resurrection as were the other eleven apos-tles, for
neither did they see Jesus, in reality, in his glorious spirit person; they saw
him as he appeared in bodies of flesh, assumed for the very purpose of
ap-pearing and instructing; Paul saw him partially; that is to say, he saw some
of the light from his glorious presence, sufficient to give him absolute
assurance that Jesus was no longer, as he had supposed, the dead Nazarene, but
the resurrected, glorified, heavenly Lord, a quickening spirit.
Let us note how the Lord chose a devout man amongst the disciples, when he
would send a message to Paul, the record being that Ananias was esteemed
amongst the Jews as a good man; and so we should always expect that those whom
the Lord would choose as his special messengers would be good men, devout men,
pious men,-not frivolous, not worldly, not im-moral. And should we ever find
any, claiming to be the ministers of the truth, of immoral character, we would
have good reason to doubt them; or to suppose that if the Lord even had used
them once, he would no longer use such after they had departed from the ways of
righteousness. Nevertheless, we are to re-member that we must not judge any
hastily upon the testimony of the worldly, and especially not according to the
witness of enemies of the truth, however relig-ious those enemies may claim to
be, but should re-member our Lord’s word, “They shall say all manner of evil
against you falsely for my sake.”
Although the Lord, at the hands of Ananias, performed a miracle on the eyes of
Saul, so that scales fell from them, and he was able to look upon Ananias,
never-theless, we have every reason to believe that his eyes were never
restored to their former strength, and that it was for this reason that the
Christian brethren would have gladly plucked out their own eyes for him (Gal.
4:15); for this reason also, that although a learned man, he wrote very few of
his own epistles, and was largely dependent upon his companions, though himself
invariably the chief speaker and writer. This was the “thorn in the flesh,”
which the Lord was not pleased to remove entirely, and which the Apostle
learned to rejoice in ultimately, when he came to know that through this God’s
mercy and grace would abound toward him the more.-Gal. 6:11; 2 Cor. 12:7-9.
And so with us: we might be inclined to think that if we had greater talents
and abilities, or we were relieved of certain weaknesses of the flesh, it would
be better for us and for the Lord’s cause; yet we are to remember the Master’s
words again, that we are to “seek first the Kingdom of heaven,” and that all
things needful of an earthly kind will be added to us. Our desires and prayers
are not to be for the earthly things after which the Gentiles seek, but are to
be chiefly for the spiritual things. We are to remember that as respects our
earthly interests they have all been committed to the Lord, and that he knoweth
what things we have need of before we ask him, and that he has promised to do
for us in every matter ex-ceeding abundantly better things than we could ask or
think, as viewed from the standpoint of our spirit-ual and eternal interests.
We surely would not want temporal blessings which would in any degree hinder
our attainment to the exceeding great and precious promises-the spiritual
things which God hath in reservation for them that love him.
Let us note carefully the message God sent to Paul through Ananias. “The God
of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldst know his will, and
see that just one, and shouldst hear the voice of his mouth.” Ah! how few
indeed realize the truth of the Master’s statement, “No man can come to me
ex-cept the Father which sent me draw him.” How few realize that God,
during this present time, is not at-tempting to gather the world into his arms,
but mere-ly, as the Scriptures abundantly declare, is taking out from amongst
the people a peculiar people, a little flock, to constitute the Bride, the
Lamb’s wife and joint-heir. If all who have heard the voice of Jesus speaking
to them through his Word, and who, with the eye of faith, have seen him, and into
whose hearts the light of the glory of God, above the brightness of all earthly
light, has shined, could but realize how great a favor has come upon them, it
would indeed be a great stimulus to their appreciation of the privileges thus
put within their grasp. They would see that all this signifies that we are
called to be coworkers to-gether with God, to be fellow-sufferers with Jesus in
this Gospel age of sacrifice for righteousness’ sake, and to be fellow-heirs
with him in the coming age, in which the reign of righteousness shall prevail
to the blessing of all the families of the earth, and the sub-jugation of Satan
and sin.
This was the thought conveyed to Paul: that the meaning of the experience which
had come to him was, that he had been found of such condition of heart as to be
worthy to be a witness for God and for Jesus respecting the things he had seen
and heard. And so with each of us; we are not to attempt to tell to oth-ers
things which we have not seen and have not heard ourselves; but first of all
the eye of appreciation and faith must be opened, and the ear of understanding
unstopped, and then out of that which we ourselves hear from the Lord, through
his appointed agencies and ministers, we are in turn to repeat to others
-dispensing the divine favor according to our capacity for appreciation and for
utterance.
The Lord’s declaration to Ananias respecting Paul was, “He is a chosen vessel
unto me . . . I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s
sake.” (Acts 9:15, 16.) Thus it is with all of the Lord’s chosen ones, like the
Captain of our salvation, Jesus, each and all must learn and prove their
obedience and loyalty to the divine plan by suf-fering in this present time,
that they may be thus fitted and prepared for the glory, honor and immor-tality
of the Kingdom. And to be chosen to suffer much implies qualification for the
higher glory here-after. Thus it was with our Lord and with the apos-tles: and
thus it is written, for our encouragement, that the sufferings of this present
time work out “for us a far more exceeding and an eternal weight of glory.”-2
Cor. 4:17.
Let us also note and apply the words of Ananias, “And now why tarriest thou?
Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling upon the name of the
Lord.” There is a directness in this address that is
worthy of being copied by all who have an influence upon others, and who are
seeking to bring them along in the right way. Urge them to promptness, to full
and complete obedience, to a full confession of the Lord and the truth. If
they are not inclined to promptly obey after their eyes of faith have seen the
Lord, and after their ears have heard his voice, they will be much less likely
to be ready to make a conse-cration after a while, when the world and the flesh
and the devil will say to them, Do not be an extre-mist, now; be moderate; do
not make a full consecra-tion of yourself to the Lord. Your neighbors and
friends will think you beside yourself, and it will in-terfere with your hopes
and prospects, and turn your friends into enemies. It will cost you too much;
go slowly. The right course for every one who would give instruction is
that of Ananias, to favor prompt obedience. “The time past of our lives
sufficeth us” to have misrepresented the Lord, his character and his plan to
any extent. The remainder of life is far too short to show forth the
praise of him whom we now see to be the glorious one, the author and finisher
of our faith.
The baptism of John, which was instituted for Jews, was a baptism unto
repentance and remission of sins-not original sin, but sins against the Jewish
covenant, and sins against Jesus, the Messiah who fulfilled that Covenant.
This was John’s baptism, the one that was appropriate to the Jews; for every
Jew who was in harmony with his God and with his covenant had his original sin
covered under the ar-rangement of the Mosaic Law, in the sacrifices which took
place year by year continually, until the great sacrifice came, the antitypical
one, which superseded all others. Every true Israelite, therefore, who was in
Moses under the Jewish Law Covenant, by virtue of Christ’s work in taking the
place of Moses, and in substituting the New Covenant for the Law Covenant, was,
so to speak, transferred from the Old to the New; from Moses into Christ; and
the typical covering of original sin became actual in Christ.
Therefore the Jews were everywhere called upon to repent and to be baptized for
the remission of their sins against their covenant,- that thus
they might be in full accord with the Lord. This baptism for the remission of
sins, John’s baptism, was for the Jews only, and not for the Gentiles, who were
not under the Mosaic cove-nant nor in Moses (baptized into Moses-I Cor. 10:2),
and hence in the transfer of the Mosaic institution into the Christian we were
not transferred into Christ. Baptism to the Gentiles means an admission into
Christ-into the body or Church of Christ, as the Apostle explains.-Rom. 6:3-5.
Noting that the Apostle Paul was so faith-ful a follower of the Lord Jesus, and
that his en-lightenment in many respects so clearly illustrates our own
spiritual enlightenment in this harvest-time, let us lay well to heart the
Golden Text, the Apostle’s words, “I was not disobedient unto the heavenly
vis-ion.” Let us, dear brethren and sisters, who have seen in the light of this
harvest-time the light of the Lord’s presence (Parousia), shining above
the bright-ness of all earthly light, giving a light of the knowledge of the
glory of God, showing us something of the divine character and plan-let us not
be dis-obedient unto the heavenly vision, but faithful to our privileges and
opportunities in letting the light that has shined into our hearts and minds so
shine out to others in our words, and in the living epistles of our lives, that
men may glorify our Father which is in heaven.